Paging Jay Hill. Calling Hill.

TCU QB Josh Hoover is coming to town and needs your immediate attention.

Attention, Morgan Scalley. Summoning Scalley.

Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson is trotting onto the field and needs your instant focus.

There will be big-time throwing artists in the crosshairs of BYU and Utah defenders on Saturday when No. 13 Utah travels to Baylor and No. 12 BYU hosts the Horned Frogs in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Leave these guys unchallenged and they can deliver big-time plays, standing in the pocket like statues in target acquisition, and they’re lethal.

Chase them, harass them, bring them down to the turf, or disrupt their comfort, and their artistry is impacted.

Robertson is No. 1.

In Waco, Robertson is the Big 12’s leading passer with 230 completions in 366 attempts, seven interceptions, 62.8% completion rate for 2,780 yards and 26 touchdown passes. His efficiency rating is 146 and he averages 308 yards passing per game.

Coming to Provo, Hoover, who diced BYU apart two years ago as a freshman, is the league’s No. 2-ranked passer. He has completed 219 of 335 passes with eight interceptions, a 65.4% completion for 2,690 yards, 23 touchdowns, an average of 298 yards per game and a 150 pass efficiency rating.

Hoover has almost twice as many TD passes as BYU’s Bear Bachmeier (12), and Robertson’s 26 touchdown passes are 11 more than Utah’s Devon Dampier (15).

Both have shown a penchant for struggling when pressured.

Hoover’s strongest performance of the 2025 season came on Sept. 20 against SMU, where he completed 22 of 40 passes (55% completion) for a season-high 379 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. He also contributed 27 rushing yards on eight carries. This explosive outing powered TCU to a 35-24 victory and showcased his arm strength with multiple deep balls, earning him a 162.4 pass rating for the game.

Hoover’s most challenging game was on Sept. 26 at Arizona State, completing 20 of 32 passes (62.5% completion) for 242 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. His rushing line was particularly rough at minus-38 yards on nine carries, which included multiple sacks. The lack of scoring production and turnovers contributed to a tight 27-24 loss, marking his lowest pass rating (113.5) of the season to date.

He also threw two interceptions that led to Kansas State scores in a four-sack loss on the road.

Robertson’s standout performance this 2025 season came on Sept. 6 against SMU, where he threw for a career-high 440 yards on 34 of 50 passing (68% completion) with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also added 20 rushing yards on six carries. This game helped Baylor secure a thrilling 48-45 double-overtime victory, marking one of his two 400-plus yard outings and contributing to his FBS-leading passing yards total.

Robertson’s toughest outing was on Oct. 18 at TCU, when he completed 25 of 52 passes (48.1% completion) for 318 yards, two touchdowns and a season-high three interceptions. He managed just minus-12 rushing yards on four carries. The turnovers were pivotal in Baylor’s narrow six-point loss.

Both the Utes and Cougars are in dire need of wins this weekend. Utah is in survival mode — a third league loss would shut the door on a myriad of Big 12 and College Football Playoff opportunities.

The Cougars already used up their mulligan with a loss at Texas Tech last week, but still control their own destiny to Arlington and possibly a CFP bid.

These are the games Hill and Scalley are built for.

These are the kind of quarterbacks they like to scheme for, then wait and see if there is chaos and carnage.

This will be a fun Saturday, finding out if Hill and Scalley can create the QB havoc they so deftly love to design.

This week’s predictions

• Indiana 42, Wisconsin 24
• Texas A&M 31, South Carolina 14
• Notre Dame 28, Pittsburgh 21
• Cincinnati 31, Arizona 28
• Kansas State 27, Oklahoma State 17
• Arizona State 24, West Virginia 21
• Alabama 28, Oklahoma 24
• Texas Tech 42, UCF 13
• Miami 33, North Carolina 31
• Georgia Tech 35, Boston College 21
• USC 27, Iowa 21
• Virginia 31, Duke 17
• Penn State 24, Michigan State 14
• Ole Miss 38, Florida 31
• Ohio State 42, UCLA 14
• Georgia 28, Texas 24
• Utah 38, Baylor 21
• UNLV 28, Utah State 24
• BYU 28, TCU 24

Last week: 11-5; overall 136-42 (.764)

The federal government is open again, but Utah’s air travel may remain snarled for the foreseeable future.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Nov. 12 that flight reductions will stay in place at 6% as the Federal Aviation Administration continues to monitor national staffing levels. The same goes for air travel in Salt Lake City.

“The Department of Transportation has indicated that they don’t have all of the air traffic control workers back, and so it will take some time before they are back in the saddle,” said Salt Lake City International Airport Communications Director Nancy Volmer. “It takes time to get these flight schedules back to normal.”

Volmer said the airport has not had any additional conversations with the FAA about how long flight reductions will be in place.

Even before the longest government shutdown in history, there was already a shortage of air traffic controllers. It’s something that’s felt across the airline industry.

The FAA faces a shortage of roughly 3,000 air traffic controllers. The shutdown did not make the situation any easier, with no pay, pressure from President Donald Trump and the ordered flight reductions. The country’s biggest travel hubs, including Salt Lake, felt it. But what about the smaller municipal and regional airports?

“There’s a lot of airports that would love to have [air traffic control] because it does increase your safety,” said Travis Biggs, president of the Utah Airport Operators Association and manager of the Heber Valley Airport.

Outside of SLC International, Biggs said the need for additional controllers is most acute at a place like Spanish Fork, a busy municipal airport without a dedicated control tower. An abundance of flight schools and proximity to a larger airport in Provo with commercial flights mean a crowded airspace.

“There’s just a lot of planes in the pattern,” he said. “In that congestion, that’s where your likelihood of having an incident or an accident or something like that between aircraft could happen.”

It’s something a new program at Utah State University in Logan is trying to address. Here in the classroom, students look like they’re parked in front of a complicated video game, but it’s actually part of the school’s air traffic control minor.

“I haven’t had to sell it,” said assistant professor and former air traffic controller Aaron Whittle in a video from the school. “The students just love it.”

Now in its second year, students use the simulator to learn what it takes to make sure aircraft get to where they’re headed safely.

“[The controller shortage has] been that way for years, and so we’re trying to stand where we are and make a difference from where we’re at,” Whittle said. “We’ve had four individuals get accepted by the FAA that are currently in the process of becoming air traffic controllers.”

Whittle said the goal of the program is not solely to develop new talent — the FAA has strict standards and oversees the hiring and training for those jobs — but he’s been encouraged by how students have gravitated toward the classes. Overall, more than 160 students have participated since it was first offered last fall.

An aviation student in the university’s video, Jacob Ivie, admitted his goal was to fly for an airline after graduation, but he saw the value of the experience gained in the simulator.

“It shows you all the opportunities that are out there in aviation beyond just flying the planes,” he said in the video. “It might help change a couple people’s minds and make some new controllers.”

The simulator provides students with an environment where they can practice the complex procedures and phraseology necessary in aviation without the added stress and risk of a real-world scenario.

USU’s program isn’t sending fully fledged controllers out into the world, but it is, at least, a first step to exposing students to a possible career.

Becoming an air traffic controller is a long and arduous process, according to the FAA. There’s a lengthy list of medical requirements and security clearances to meet to be considered for training, including being younger than 31 years old. Even then, less than 10% of applicants are accepted into the program. After completing the initial courses, applicants can expect 2-3 more years of education before they become certified air traffic controllers.

SALT LAKE CITY — The latest version of Utah’s traction laws may upset people looking to enjoy Big and Little Cottonwood canyons before a storm even hits the area.

With the newest update to the law being implemented by the Utah Department of Transportation, officials are now able to enforce traction requirements up to 24 hours before a storm front moves in.

UDOT says the update, which came through legislation passed earlier this year, allows drivers to “prepare before snow starts falling.” The revised law also requires vehicles in the canyons to have at least 5/32 inch of tire tread, and allows for “stricter enforcement” during storms.

The new version enables law enforcement agencies to issue citations for those who violate the traction law.

“Our new, enhanced traction requirements are all about safety,” UDOT Region Two Director Robert Stewart said. “These updates make sure drivers have the right equipment before heading into the canyons, even if a storm rolls in while they’re parked. We hope this gives everyone more peace of mind knowing they, and the drivers around them, are ready for winter conditions.”

Traction law enforcement is handled by the Cottonwood Heights and Sandy City police departments, with additional support from the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office for roadside and parking enforcement.

UDOT is working to help drivers prepare, offering the free Cottonwood Canyons Sticker Program, which provides voluntary winter tire inspections at more than 140 tire shops. Those inspections run from November 13 to February 28.

The sticker program is free and voluntary, and the stickers are not required to drive in Big or Little Cottonwood Canyon. The stickers work to show that a vehicle has proper traction devices for traveling in the canyons when the Traction Law is in effect.

“It takes all of us working together to keep our canyons safe,” Stewart said. “Winter recreation is a Utah tradition we all value. A little preparation now means more time enjoying the mountains, and less time worrying about safety or compliance.”

According to UDOT, since launching the sticker program in 2021, 86% of participants say they noticed more vehicles in the canyon that are properly equipped for winter.

Drivers are also encouraged to plan ahead, slow down, and consider using transit to reach ski resorts. Real-time updates on canyon conditions are available through the UDOT website.